A Tea Called Alice
by spooky-knight
Summary: "You should know…" Hatter began haltingly. The tremor in his hands betrayed his nervousness. "I think I love you. But I'm afraid that doesn't mean the same thing in your world as it does in mine." A slightly darker look at love in the world beyond the Looking Glass. The pieces fall into place. They'll build their own world together.
1. Curiosity and the Oyster

AN: What stared out as a series of loosely interconnected one-shots that hang off the romance between Alice and Hatter is starting to become a much bigger project. I have lofty goals for this story and I hope I can reach them.

It all starts with a kiss…

In the beginning here, I didn't want to rewrite the whole second part of the mini-series, so when there are gaps in time you may fill them in with the events of the original series.

I do not own or have any rights to Alice, the good folks at SyFy do.

* * *

_Why am I afraid to feel?_

_Afraid of what is true _

_Why am I afraid to feel?_

_When all I really want is you_

* * *

Alice was completely prepared to go into the dark unknown and leave behind the two men that had helped her get this far. Despite Hatter's protests, Alice was convinced that making a deal with the Queen was the only way to get herself and Jack home safely. After his outburst around the fire, she doubted either Hatter or Charlie would go along with it. She needed to do this on her terms. She could have stuck with that plan and made a clean getaway, but instead her eyes betrayed her and fell magnetically on a peacefully sleeping Hatter.

Her heart seized at the thought that she would never see him again. Despite her apparent nonchalance regarding his loyalty, she was actually painfully aware of the risks he must be taking to keep her safe. Hatter had left his shop, and presumably his home, quite literally taken a bullet and otherwise put himself in harm's way to help her. She was grateful for his aid and had grown accustomed to his companionship even after such a short time. When he infuriated her, which seemed to be more often than not, she had to fight the uncontrollable urge to smile. He was a concentrated and distilled reflection of this place - so very Wonderland and yet so very Hatter. The mystery surrounding him intrigued her and so often over these past few days she wished that she'd met him under far less dangerous circumstances. If their situation wasn't life or death, could he be her friend, as he hoped to be?

But curiosity was getting the better of her.

All her life Alice just had to know. She had to know what happened to her father which started a global search for his whereabouts. She had to know about the judo class advertised on a flier at the local coffee shop and now she was an instructor. She had to know what would happen with every guy, including Jack, that showed interest in her, resulting in a long string of failed relationships. And right now, she had to know if there was anything to this little fluttering feeling in her chest as she watched her guide and protector in this strange world sleeping.

Alice crept over silently until she was kneeling before him, watching closely for signs of alertness. In the glow of the still-burning fire, his characteristically Wonderland features were perfectly surreal and damn near irresistible. If she was going to do this, she may as well get on with it before Charlie caught her in the act and she died of embarrassment on the spot.

Alice leaned forward achingly slow. She hesitated only a moment before gently pressing her lips to his. Instantly the spark sizzled down her spine like a firecracker. Though his lips were unresponsive in sleep, Hatter stole her breath. Replaced her entire world with the calm, easy rise and fall of his chest as he slept on. It was the answer she had hoped and feared. Her hands trembled, but she couldn't stop now. A rush of excitement and desire drove her to new levels of bravery. Alice dared to tilt her head. To lean in. To press just a little more firmly into the unrequited kiss.

"That's nice," Hatter hummed against her lips.

Alice panicked and pulled away. The words were thick and full of sleep and for a moment she wondered if he was even conscious.

Hatter swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. He slowly opened his eyes and continued, "Whaddya call that?"

"I'm sorry, I - " she hedged, obviously flustered. Really, what was she going to say? _Sorry, I gave in to the uncontrollable urge to kiss you just once before I left you alone in the woods with a crazy knight?_

"We don't have this in Wonderland," Hatter explained, studying her face even as she looked away sheepishly. The apples of her cheeks were tinged with pink and judging by the heat rising on his own cheeks he assumed his face mirrored hers.

Hatter had always been on the business side of feelings, pawning Tea off to the sorry lot of Wonderland so they could experience the rare pearls that were the wonder of Oyster emotions. But since Alice appeared in his life he'd been experiencing these strange feelings directly from the source. She was intoxicating and Hatter was beginning to worry he was already addicted.

Alice blinked in disbelief. "What?"

"We don't do that - "

"No, I heard you, I just - " Alice trailed off. Hatter had flirted with her since the moment she met him. What was all the innuendo about if Wonderlanders didn't even kiss?

She wet her lips distractedly with a swipe of her tongue and Hatter's eyes were drawn to the action with extreme interest.

"What did you mean when we first met?" she asked. He looked at her blankly and she sighed. She really hated it when she had to spell out awkward things. "About helping me because I was a girl in a very wet dress."

"A pretty girl," he corrected with a lopsided grin.

Flattery. That was just great. Alice pressed on, "Isn't this what you do with all the_**... **_pretty girls?" She ground out the last part in an irritable grumble that she refused to recognize as envy.

"No," Hatter mumbled quietly. He moved closer to her; as close as she had been before he'd caught her. She let him. They breathed the same breath. He found he really liked this - whatever this was - that allowed her to be more receptive to him. And closer to him. "Only Oysters do this."

"Kiss," Alice said suddenly.

"Gazuntite," Hatter offered with genuine sympathy.

"No." She shook her head and couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. It was a true smile, one that Hatter saw reach her eyes. "That's what it's called," Alice revealed. "A kiss."

"I think I like 'kiss,'"he told her before closing the distance between them once more.

A kiss, as it turned out, was much more than just lips pressed together. It was a deliciously heady feeling that pooled warmth in the chest and turned the air electric. A kiss quickened the heart and shallowed the breath. These were effects Hatter thought could only come from Tea. But Alice ripped a gaping hole in that theory. Oysters were as tumultuous as the sea and Hatter felt like he was being swept away with the tide. Strangely, he couldn't bring himself to care.

He was happy, almost deliriously so, that she had decided to share this part of her world with him. Then the nagging thought roared unwelcome from the back of his mind.

"Did you do this with Jack?" Hatter asked. He nearly winced at the raw jealousy that permeated his own voice.

Alice frowned and pulled back to sit on her heels. She stood up, signaling their discussion was over.

"Good night, Hatter," she said with finality.

The next morning she was gone.

* * *

AN: Rule #1, Hatter - never bring up the ex. Especially if he's not even an ex yet. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll learn the game eventually...

A big Wonderland thank you to beta celticvampriss. She was instrumental in pulling this together


	2. To Talk of Many Things

AN: A few more questions answered for you and a few more answers questioned. We're in Wonderland, after all.

I do not own or have any rights to Alice, the good folks at SyFy do. And they scare me, what with their alphas and artifacts and aliens...

* * *

_So give me something to believe_  
_'Cause I am living just to breathe_  
_And I need something more_  
_To keep on breathing for_  
_So give me something to believe_

* * *

Once again, Alice found herself soaked to the bone on a shore in Wonderland with no change of clothes. This time, at least, she was amongst friends. It was the first chance she'd had to breathe since their daring escape from the Casino and subsequent crash landing in the lake; but breathing didn't come easy. Hatter looked on as Charlie squeezed her for dear life in a bear hug of pure relief.

Alice untangled herself from the old knight's embrace with a hesitant smile. She was glad all three of them made it to shore and found each other. The happiness of the reunion made it all the harder. What she found at the Casino had changed everything. Alice knew what she had to do. What she must do now that she had a clue to finally finding her father. And it broke her heart.

"We should get off this beach before we get spotted," Hatter said soberly, already walking toward the tree line.

"No," Alice said firmly.

Hatter turned and shot her a disbelieving look, "No?"

"Listen, guys. I'm really grateful for what you did," Alice said. But no matter how she put it, somehow it sounded inadequate. "Getting me out of the Casino, I'll never be able to repay you... but I have to go back."

Charlie groaned lamentably. Hatter shook his head without bothering to hide the resentment in his eyes.

"Why are you still hooked on Jack?" Hatter yelled with growing frustration.

"This isn't about Jack!" Alice snapped with equal force. She blinked and looked at the ground sadly. "Not anymore. It's about what Jack gave me." Alice once again pulled her father's watch from the safety of her pocket so Hatter and Charlie could see. "He was trying to help me."

"Really?" Hatter sneered, unconvinced. "'Cos it sounds to me like he was using ya."

"And you're not?" Alice snapped without missing a beat.

Hatter clamped his mouth shut, looking positively contrite. Alice realized instantly that she'd hit a nerve. She could see it in his eyes. Maybe the statement wasn't entirely fair, but there was still just a part of her that couldn't deny it was true. She stared down at the watch in her hands. The familiar features and the weight of it in her hand were enough to remind her of her goal. Of the one thing in any world that she needed to know. The mystery that was always just out of reach. Perhaps, before today, impossible to solve. But now she was staring at her answer. This was the root, the very heart of her curiosity. Alice just _had_ to know. Hatter would have to understand that.

Charlie watched the two of them helplessly from his stump by the fire, unsure of what he could say that would reconcile the hurt playing on both their faces.

"Look," Alice began quietly. "This is the first piece of good news I've gotten since I came here. Everything I thought I knew about my life for the past few months has been a lie. Jack is not coming back with me. But my Dad can."

Hatter frowned. It was a one-track mind with Alice. The man in question had changed, but she always seemed fixated on saving that one person. "Don't you care what's happening here?" he challenged. "All the people's lives who are getting ripped apart by the Queen?"

"Of course I do," Alice huffed. "I'm one of them-"

"Then give the Resistance a chance," Hatter pleaded. He found it strange openly vouching for the Resistance after hiding his association with it for so long. But this was his one chance to get things back on track. And, hearts help him, to keep her. Hatter had traveled the lone rebel path before and it never ended well.

She scoffed, "I met those guys already."

If Hatter thought she was bringing herself, the ring, or the watch back to Dodo he really was mad. Alice felt she'd made more progress with the Queen, of all people.

"One arm of the organization that was," Hatter reasoned, as though it were obvious. "We get to the top man, he'll help us."

That gave Alice pause. She studied his face, wondering not for the first time about Hatter's place in all this. "You know him?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yes," Hatter answered quickly. Too quickly. He thought twice about stretching the truth with Alice. "No," he amended. "Not exactly. Nobody knows his true identity but he goes by a code name: Caterpillar."

"And you think this mysterious benefactor can help find my Dad _and_ bring down the Casino?" Alice asked skeptically.

He nodded. If anyone in Wonderland could, it was Caterpillar. Of that much he was certain. "Give me a few hours. I'll slip back into the city and make contact. You can - " Hatter looked over to the old knight, almost forgotten amidst their conversation. "You can stay with Charlie in the fortress," he volunteered. Charlie didn't seem to mind. The knight stood up clumsily from his seat and reported for duty with a conscientious salute. "You'll be safe there. If I'm not back by nightfall, do it your way."

Alice looked from Hatter to Charlie and back again. The thought of either of them risking their lives for her again nearly made her sick. When it came to her father, this was her fight. But the crafty, smarmy Hatter who lived by playing both sides wanted to give up the con job for a fair fight. He wanted a better future for his people, and that seemed like a worthy goal that deserved her support.

After much consideration, Alice nodded tightly. "Okay."

"Okay," Hatter parroted, clapping his hands together. Good, it was decided. He was just going to slip quietly back into a city crawling with Suits and make contact with the very people that were out to kill him. Easy as an orange on Tuesday. "Brilliant," he deadpanned, swallowing hard. Alice gave him courage; fire in the moment. What was he going to do without her? "Better get gone, then."

He nodded to Charlie and turned in the direction of the - hopefully still concealed - boat. Alice stopped him, pulling firmly on his jacket sleeve. Hatter looked first at her hand and then back up to her face. Her eyes were filled with concern, a vulnerable new emotion in Alice.

"Be careful," she told him and there was no room for argument.

He nodded. For Alice; anything.

* * *

Hatter felt his heart just might burst right out of his chest when he saw Alice standing alone atop that grassy hill. When he had caught Charlie sleeping on the job, he despairingly prepared himself for her to be gone again. Or worse. He rushed up the hill, inexplicably anxious to be in her presence again.

"It's good news," he began excitedly. "The Resistance wants to help. They're sending a special agent to take us to meet Caterpillar."

He was out of breath, practically panting for air. When did that happen? Did she notice? It was so painfully obvious to him. Hatter sighed and gestured behind him. "It's quite a steep hill." _All that hill's fault. Wasn't because I was rushing up here to see you. Nope. _

Yes, Hatter realized dismally. Definitely addicted.

Alice looked unusually pensive and was being even more unusually quiet. "You okay?" he asked in concern.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming back," Alice said quietly, almost a whisper.

Hatter sulked noticeably, "You still don't trust me?"

"I don't trust anything here," she replied cryptically. "I was beginning to worry."

The thought of Alice worried over him was just too much. Hatter tried to fight it. Fight the sudden reflex to grin like a complete idiot. Fight his eyes wanting to betray the hopeless idealist he was becoming. He wasn't ready to show Alice the hope welling up in his heart that she felt one tenth of the affection he felt for her.

Before he could speak and make a complete fool of himself, she changed the subject. "How soon till he gets here?"

The flutter of excitement inside him proved easily extinguished. Alice had a way of facing an issue with a directness that smothered most weaker sentiments. Hatter shrugged, effectively distracted, "Those guys can move pretty fast when they need to."

"You're going to join them aren't you?" Alice questioned, brow furrowed pensively. "Fight alongside them?"

Hatter shot her a curious look. Since when did Alice care about what he did? "I have to try," he confessed, turning to face her. "As Dodo said, I have lived my life playing both sides of the court. It's the only way I could stay alive. I made the Hearts think I was working for them while I fed their enemies. Those days are over."

"What about your friends?" Alice wondered, assuming the motley crew of undesirables they'd encountered so far could be considered his friends. "Your family?"

"Family?" Hatter asked, laughing humorlessly. Was Alice so naive? By the serious look on her face, he guessed she was. "My family's long gone, Alice. When your father works for the Queen, heads will roll, yeah?"

Alice's eyes fell to the ground at his comment. He winced. Hatter had nearly forgotten about her own father, who she believed to be trapped in the Casino. And here he was talking about beheadings. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _If the ground opened up and swallowed him, vanishing him faster than a boojum, he didn't think he'd mind.

"Look," he said gently. "If this all goes right, you and your dad will be home safe together and you'll forget about this whole mess." _And about me,_ his mind added sadly. But such things were for the best.

"Hatter, how - " Alice hedged, studying her fingers intently. "How do families happen in Wonderland?"

Hatter stared at her blankly for a long moment as he tried to decipher exactly what she was asking. "Well," he began slowly. "When a man and a woman love one another very much..."

Alice paled. Oh, lord. She just _had_ to know, and now she was about to get _the talk_ from Hatter.

He continued, oblivious, "...they take vows to one another. And when they decide to make little ones, they go to the Carpenter."

"The Carpenter?"Alice asked, baffled. That was out of left field. She had heard many different euphemisms for sex in her time but she doubted this was one of them. Was she being fed a stork myth?

Hatter nodded and expounded on what he thought had been a reasonably straight forward comment. "Yes. Carpenter. The happy couple proves their love to him and he gives 'em a child," he explained plainly.

"He just... gives it to them?"

"Yes," Hatter said, though his assuredness was shaking a bit. "Is it different on your side?"

Alice frowned, defeated. Any notion that Jack had held off on sleeping with her for love or old fashioned chivalry flew out the window. He just didn't know better. Suddenly all the times she made the first move made sense. In his world, two people in love just didn't act the same way.

Hatter nodded to himself. He seemed resolved, as though he'd come to a decision in his own mind.

"This has something to do with that whole 'making love' bit?" he questioned carefully. "Birds and bees? Like how they make ecstasy Tea."

Hatter wasn't really clued in on the details of the process but he'd heard talk. People always talked. Especially in the Tea Shoppe.

Alice froze, her face hardening, "They force people to... make ecstasy Tea?"

Hatter bristled, panicking over yet another poor choice of wording. "Did I say - make…" he trailed off nervously. "I'm sure it's all, ya know... consensual."

Alice was visibly disturbed by this knowledge. Asexual Wonderlanders relying on 'Oysters' and 'Tea' to feel desire. Magic cabbage patch babies delivered by a mysterious Carpenter. Somehow, the pieces of the puzzle just weren't adding up. And the wild theories spinning in her head were so twisted and frightening that she prayed they weren't true.

"We should get back. To Charlie," Alice said suddenly.

"Okay," Hatter agreed. He was puzzled by Alice's impromptu line of questioning and her adverse reaction to his answers but was hesitant to push her further.

The pair started down the hill and through the woods back to Charlie's fortress, walking in silence until Alice slowed to a stop.

"What's the matter?" Hatter asked cautiously. Other than the obvious distress she exhibited from their earlier conversation, something else seemed to be weighing on her.

"What will I do?" Alice whispered. "If I get stuck here?"

Hatter nodded to himself and voiced what he had already decided. "Then I'll make sure you're okay," he told her earnestly. Alice was his charge whether she liked it or not. He placed his hands soothingly on her arms and willed her to believe him. Her walls were down and fearful eyes were begging for comfort. And Hatter knew just the comforting gesture.

"I think your luck's finally changing," he murmured absently. But the words didn't matter because she was close. And he was leaning in. A kiss. He was going to get a waking, fully participatory kiss from Alice. In the light of day. And it was going to be the most wonderful feeling in the all the worlds.

"That's right, it is," an unwelcome voice chimed in, cutting through the glorious anticipation between them and shattering Hatter's perfect moment.

The most unwelcome voice of Jack Heart.

* * *

AN: Thank you again to beta celticvampriss for all her help. Here's one cuppa Gratitude Tea, just for you


	3. The Most Unwelcome

AN: And here we have it - the most unwelcome Jack Heart.

I do not own or have any rights to Alice, the good folks at SyFy do. And they have lawyers. Who are probably demons and vampires and telepaths, oh my.

* * *

_Let's take a moment_

_I need to spoil who you are_

_I played your game once_

_You sold me out with no regard_

* * *

"Who's your friend?" Jack asked Alice, arrogance rolling off him like a dense fog.

Hatter scowled. Jack Heart very well knew who Hatter was; but he wouldn't want Alice to know that, would he? It would be a scrap of truth in the web of lies Jack had spun to earn her undeserved loyalty.

Alice glanced back at Hatter quickly. Her underdog champion had rushed to her defense with nothing more than a stick to use against the Prince of Wonderland's sword. If that wasn't friendship, Alice wasn't sure what friendship was.

"A friend," Alice stressed. Someone she trusted. Someone that Jack, at this moment, was not. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Yes," Jack said stiffly. "You two looked pretty friendly."

Alice's eyebrows shot up, "You jealous, Jack?"

"A little."

"Did I hear that right?" Alice lifted her chin and fixed him with a haughty glare. "The guy who's engaged to a Duchess is worried about me?"

"You know that was just an act," Jack defended, feeling quite put out by all this scrutiny.

"No," Alice shook her head and sadness washed across her face. "I don't."

And she waited, hoping after the beat of silence there would be an explanation. More than anything, Alice wanted closure, to know why the one man for whom she had finally dropped her guard was the same one to lie and betray her.

Jack did not deliver any clarification, choosing instead to dismiss her comment completely.

"Come, I brought you a horse," the Prince offered, motioning away from the fortress with an outstretched arm. "Let's get out of here."

Hatter stepped in front of Alice, physically separating her from Jack with his body. "She's not going anywhere with you," he protested.

Jack scoffed, "You know she can't stay here."

"Stop it, both of you," Alice scolded like a mother with two mischievous sons. She turned to Hatter and explained quietly, "I need to find my Dad." She gave his shoulder a quick squeeze, hoping he would understand. This was the only way.

Alice turned back to Jack, "Is he here?"

"Yes," Jack confirmed. "He's alive and well and if you let me, I will take you to him."

"You _are_ going to take me to him..." Alice demanded.

Hatter's jaw fell open. He couldn't believe, after everything he and Charlie had done, that she was going to follow Jack. She was just going to waltz off into certain danger without them. Again. Blindly following Jack over some convenient story of her missing father being alive and held in the Casino. He wanted to scream. To shake her and tell her just what a bad idea this was. But it was his word against the Prince of Hearts, her beloved boyfriend. She hadn't listened to him once since arriving in Wonderland, why would she start now?

"...but you're going to answer some questions first," she finished with an air of authority.

Jack shook his head, "Alice, we don't have time - "

Ignoring him, Alice's eyes fell on the old White knight, whom Jack had left tied up on the ground. "Jeez, Charlie," she cried softly, and kneeled down to start untying his hands.

Without being asked, Hatter joined her, working on the rope around Charlie's feet. Hatter adeptly loosened the twine and couldn't help but smile at the line that Alice had drawn. He and Alice were united in this, or so he felt. Charlie was their friend, they cared about him together, and Jack had no part in that. His smirk grew when he saw Jack growing antsy. Well, if the Prince was so keen on her, he'd have to show some patience with Alice. Hearts knew, Hatter had done as much over the past few days.

Jack looked on, dumbfounded by their lack of urgency. "We better get going," he pushed. "We don't have much time."

"Where is my father?" Alice asked, interrogating Jack with her eyes. A question that demanded an answer.

Jack looked away. "We're moving him to the city," he answered ambiguously.

"What do you mean 'moving him?'" Alice wondered, confused as to what that signified. She had assumed Jack handing her the watch meant he had some semblance of control over the situation. Did this mean her father was in danger?

"I have people helping me," the Prince said, dodging the intent of her question.

"What people?" Hatter jumped in, already fed up with Jack's obscure non-answers.

"Do you want to see your father again, or not?" Jack snapped at Alice. They were wasting precious time arguing when they should already be on the way to the city by now.

"Yes, of course," Alice said, keeping her unwavering stare. "Tell me about the Carpenter," she ordered, looking up at Jack over Charlie as she finished her work on the knot that bound the knight's wrists.

"The Carpenter?" Jack repeated, visibly shaken. "Where did you hear about him?"

Alice tried again, "When a Wonderlander wants a baby, they go to the Carpenter. Why?"

She stood her ground on this. Parts of her conversation with Hatter were still weighing heavily on her mind. An open-ended question about rare Teas and the true nature of these 'babies' that Wonderlanders took home and raised as their own children. It might have been nothing. She might just be grasping at straws. But the idea just…bothered her. And if Alice was anything, she was curious. Now that the doubt had grown, she had to know. And Jack was going to tell her.

The Prince shook his head, making it clear he was at a loss as to where these questions came from.

"Alice-" Jack warned harshly.

She cut him off, "You show up here out of nowhere. Tie up my friend. Tell me nothing and expect me to just follow you 'right now' because there's 'no time.'" Alice tossed aside the detangled rope and rose to her feet. "I am not going anywhere until you tell me what I want to know."

Alice wanted to know the answer, but in some small way, she felt this was also about trust. She had to assume that everything she knew about Jack before he slipped her the watch had been a lie. If he expected her to follow him, it was time for the Prince to start giving up the truth.

Charlie, now free from his bonds, sat up and worried his wrists. Hatter stood and watched the stalemate unfold. Something about Alice proudly standing up to the Prince stirred up feelings in Hatter that made him really wish he had gotten that kiss.

Jack took a deep breath. He knew Alice well enough to know she would keep to her word. She wouldn't budge until she got what she wanted. So he started talking, "Before the looking glass, there was another portal connecting your world with ours."

"The rabbit hole," Hatter supplied helpfully. This much he knew already.

Jack nodded tightly, "Long ago, before History was recorded, the first pilgrims from your world settled here."

Hatter shook his head, confused, "Wait - you're saying the first Wonderlanders were Oysters?"

Jack continued, ignoring the disruption, "By the time Alice Liddell arrived here - "

"Alice of Legend," Charlie chimed in from the ground, nearly forgotten once again.

"Yes," Jack confirmed, growing irritated with the interruptions. "The inhabitants of this world were no longer recognizable as human. We had forgotten the old ways. Adapted to this strange new world by replacing emotion with logic. However, as you know it is our nature to_ feel_, and when my mother came to power, she desired only to feel the good."

"Where are you going with this, Jack?" Alice cut in, halting his lengthy explanation. "I asked about the Carpenter. What is his role with the children of Wonderland?"

Jack regarded her seriously, his lips forming a thin line. "There are certain... activities required to produce the most rare and desired Teas in the kingdom," he explained somberly. "These actions sometimes have unintended consequences."

Hatter's face deflated. Wherever this was headed, he knew he wouldn't like it.

Alice nodded slowly in grim acceptance. Her suspicions were confirmed. "You're giving away the orphaned children of people from my world to be raised by Wonderlanders as your own."

Alice and her comrades stared at the Prince for a long moment, waiting anxiously for confirmation or denial of Alice's heavy allegation.

"That is the sad reality, yes," Jack agreed, clearing his throat. He fidgeted with his tie awkwardly under the pressure of three accusing stares.

"Damn," Hatter cursed, overwhelmed. "All those kids." People he knew in the city. Refugees in the Library. Tea junkies and even aristocrats in service of the Queen. If Jack was telling the truth, all Wonderlanders born since the rise of the Carpenter and his Casino were the stolen children of the Oysters. He turned away from the Prince, shaking his head and covering his mouth with a scarcely trembling hand.

"We can help them, Alice," Jack rationalized calmly. "And save your father. If you come with me now."

"Don't be fooled by this," Hatter implored. He didn't want to play around with the Royals, but he couldn't let Alice walk into a trap either. "He's working for his mother." It was plain as cream to him. Jack kept insisting she leave with him. By herself. How did she still not see it?

"Then why am I alone?" Jack reasoned, throwing his arms out for emphasis. "Why aren't there five hundred suits at my back? And how did I find you here in the middle of the forest? You think I just followed my nose?"

"How _did_ you find us?" Hatter wanted to know. This whole business sounded fishy to him and it seemed Jack was leading them from one suspicious explanation to another.

"You sent for me," Jack said simply.

Alice and Hatter looked equally befuddled. They certainly never remembered putting a call out for the Prince of Wonderland. Hatter wondered if this was another creative lie to regain Alice's trust.

"Come again?" Hatter blurted.

"I'm the agent who's supposed to escort you to Caterpillar," Jack stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Alice's eyes widened, "You know Caterpillar?"

"Very well," Jack started, grateful for a chance to finally explain himself. "Caterpillar recruited me into the Resistance. That's why I stole the ring and escaped to your world. It was supposed to trigger a coup. Unfortunately, well... you saw what happened. But if you give us back the ring, we could give it another try."

"You want to overthrow your mother?" Alice asked, a little skeptically. Jack had torn down everything she thought she knew of him right in front of his mother and tossed Alice aside as a subject for the Queen's was some bad blood she couldn't just forget.

"I've seen what she's done here - and close up. And I know, perhaps better than anyone, if I don't stop her, she'll destroy Wonderland." Jack stood up to his full height, and if Alice didn't know better she'd have thought he puffed out his chest as well. "So who are you going to trust to get you and your father back home? A Resistance insider and future King, who has already scheduled your return trip through the Looking Glass, who cares for you more than anyone else in the world..."

Jack gestured to Hatter disdainfully, "Or a half-breed who doesn't know what side he's on?"

The air left Hatter's lungs as though he'd been punched in the gut. There it was, out in the open and plain for Alice to see. Just a half-breed, discarded by Wonderland and scorned by both Royalty and Resistance. He wasn't Hatter, he was nothing.

Thankfully, Alice didn't dwell on Jack's vague insult to Hatter's heritage. She stalked forward, anger rising in her chest. "Hatter is coming with us," she spat.

Sweet, stubborn Alice. She didn't know when to give up. Jack had reduced Hatter to ruins with a few words. What use would he be in a real fight? Hatter came up behind her and spoke softly. "I don't think I figure in the future King's plans," he told her rather bitterly.

Alice whirled around and looked at him strangely. It wasn't like Hatter to give up. Hatter, who had spent the past few _days_ stubbornly trying to convince her to give up on Jack, even when they thought he was just Jack Chase, 'random oyster'. Who had fought her and argued with her every step of the way. He might not think she noticed, but she had. She wasn't leaving him behind. She couldn't. After so long with him, it was hard to imagine navigating Wonderland without a cheeky remark or a charming smirk. Her inner musings were interrupted by Jack's abrupt refusal.

"Caterpillar was very clear," Jack reinforced calmly. "The Resistance will only help you on their terms. You must come alone."

"I don't know Caterpillar," Alice pointed out. "I know Hatter. He's stood by me."

"Hey," Hatter offered, whispering in her ear. "I wouldn't want to go with this guy anyway."

Alice paid no mind to him. This wasn't Hatter's choice. He was stuck with her whether he liked it or not.

"Hatter comes with us," Alice laid the ultimatum down. "Or I stay right here."

The forest was quiet again for a moment. Charlie and Hatter watched as Alice obstinately stared down the Prince of Wonderland. After a while, it became clear she wasn't backing down. Not that any of the men there had thought she would.

Unfortunately for Jack, Alice held all the cards at the moment. The Prince sighed in resignation but it came out more like an irritable huff.

"As you like," Jack grumbled. "But we must leave now. We've wasted enough time as it is."

Hatter furrowed his brow, clearly vexed. He supposed it was a small success that Alice had defended him but was not sure how pleased he was to be volunteered. While he wanted more than anything to stay with her, he had rather hoped it would be under their terms, not under the Prince's authority.

Alice nodded triumphantly and began walking in the direction Jack had indicated earlier. The Prince stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Where's the ring, Alice?" Jack asked sternly.

Hatter rolled his eyes heavenward. This was proof. If that didn't seal it, he didn't know what would. "Tell me you don't trust this guy," he groaned, exasperated. "After all that, he'll say anything to get his hands on the ring." Besides, every time Hatter so much as mentioned the ring, she'd blow up about the damned thing being his only motive for helping her. Now Jack had made the same mistake and Hatter waited for the Prince to receive a proper Alice lashing.

"We need the ring to get you home," Jack said logically. "The Looking Glass won't work without it."

Alice looked to Hatter. "He's right," she told him. Hatter had told her as much himself. Jack wanted to use the ring to conquer his mother. Hatter could use Alice to bargain his way back into the Resistance. Alice was using Jack to find her father. All that was left was a neat little bow. She searched Hatter's eyes for acceptance.

Hatter found himself without words on this one. Least, none that he felt were proper for him to say just then. He felt cheated. The very same point he'd played on repeat to no avail since they met and now she just accepted it, as long as it's Jack feeding it to her. It didn't sit well. He noticed her staring, searching him for…what? An answer?Was she asking his permission? She hadn't asked if he'd like to tag along with Jack Heart on a suicide mission back into the city. He'd have liked to have a say in that too _thankyouverymuch._

"This is your fight too," Alice continued, as though she'd read his mind. Scary thought, that. "Isn't it, Hatter? You said you wanted to join the battle."

"Yeah, with Caterpillar and the Resistance," Hatter confirmed. _And you,_ his mind added. "Not with - " he waved his arm up and down, indicating Jack. Even with his misgivings, however, he had the sinking feeling this decision was already made for him.

"We're wasting time, Alice," Jack muttered impatiently. "The ring?"

"It's where it belongs," Alice spoke solemnly, turning her gaze to the skeleton of the old king on his throne.

Jack stepped over to the throne quickly, plucking the ring from the dead king's bony finger.

"Ah," Charlie piped up after his long silence. "Under my very nose."

* * *

AN: I'm a big fan of a more badass Alice. I think Hatter is too. The word he's looking for when she puts Jack in his place is "sexy," he just doesn't know it yet. Don't worry, buddy, we'll get you there.

Thanks again to beta celticvampriss for her invaluable help. She deserves a lot of credit for her edits and rewrites, and I think talent always deserves kudos.

See you next time, when we'll go on a dangerous jaunt through the woods and defy your imagination. And maybe some more answers. You like answers, don't you?


	4. A Cheshire Named Kat

AN: I do not own or have any rights to Alice, the good folks at SyFy do.

* * *

_I'm still not sure what I stand for_

_What do I stand for?_

_What do I stand for?_

_Most nights I don't know anymore_

* * *

Alice and Hatter said their goodbyes to Charlie and Jack led them to the horses. The two men hurriedly untied the reigns and mounted their steeds. The Prince of Hearts presumptuously lowered a hand in offering to help Alice up, only to find she was turned toward Hatter, patiently waiting for him to make the same offer.

Hatter looked down to see her staring expectantly, then glanced to Jack and back down to Alice again. With a polite smile, he extended his hand and effortlessly lifted Alice onto the horse behind him. All the while, he fought to keep the smug grin off his face.

This time, Alice's arms almost automatically came around to hold on to him. His blood sang with comfortable familiarity. One of her hands was snaked under his jacket and he felt the warmth of it through the thinner fabric of his shirt. Hatter was anxious as hell that she could feel his rapid heartbeat buzzing out of control like a Passion Tea junkie.

He was still raw about being enlisted to join in on Jack's personal vendetta against his mother. However, he found that it was hard to stay angry at Alice. It seemed her presence alone could soften his temper and turn his thoughts to crafty ways just to get near knew letting another have such power over him should have scared him. He was breaking his rules for her. Dropping his guard. All those things he swore he'd never do, all the precautions to keep himself safe, were tossed to the wind the moment Alice called. He was changing. And that should have terrified him. But he trusted Alice, even if she couldn't return that confidence.

Alice rested her head against his back, her forehead soothed by cool leather. She let out a sigh and inadvertently breathed in the scent of Hatter. The force of it rattled her. She had to lean away for fear of burying her face into his clothes, rubbing her cheek over the leather and claiming him in some primal way. In her world, the theory that smell was one of mankind's strongest and most memorable senses was often associated with identifying amorous partners. Scent had an incredible impact on the body and mind. The tremendous force of emotions flooding through her system gave her pause. Along with other things, it stirred in her a sense of panic as to how fast her feelings for the Wonderlander were evolving.

Hatter smelled like Masala Chai. Spicy cardamom and cinnamon mellowed by smooth vanilla and just a hint of sweetness. Alice's friend Hanna, who had a penchant for world cultures and natural remedies, maintained that chai came about when the British sent higher quality tea back to the mother country and left India with the "lower" tea. To cut the raw bitterness, they added spices, milk, and sugar. The scent fit Hatter. He was a lonely tea leaf thrown into a bitter world, steeped with the right sugar and spice to make just the cup of tea she wanted to drink. And with that thought, Alice knew just how hard she had fallen. She sucked in a steadying breath, trying to calm her confusion over this startlingly raw attraction. She was sympathizing with him now. Understanding him, appreciating him, and it was all too evident to her that she was falling heart first with no hope of rational thought. His smell had coaxed so much from her, her body reacting before her mind could catch up. Suddenly, her innocent hold on his waist had lost its naivety. But she still couldn't bring herself to pull away.

At the first fork in the forest path, Jack steered them to the right and Hatter stopped their horse abruptly, snapping Alice out of her reverie.

"Not that way," Hatter told the Prince bluntly.

Jack tugged on the reins and turned to face Hatter. "This is the fastest route to the city," he explained.

"Oh, sure," Hatter agreed. "If you think that mare of yours can outrun a borogrove stampede."

"Well then which way would you suggest?" Jack asked impatiently.

"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," called a voice eerily familiar to Hatter.

The three travelers looked above to see a woman, perched comfortably in a tree, grinning down at them. She was dressed strangely and scantily. A garter belt worn on the outside of her shorts held up frilly black and white garters with no stockings. Completely unnecessary pink and purple striped suspenders stretched over a lacy black bustier. The edges of her short dark hair were curled up on either side of her head to resemble the ears of a cat.

"Kat..." Hatter muttered warily under his breath. An ill-timed voice from the past.

"Who are you?" Alice called up to the woman.

"You know me very well, Alice," Kat replied with a twisted smirk. "I've had my eyes on you for a long time."

The memory sparked in her mind. Alice _had_ seen that maniacal grin before, on the face of her childhood cat Dinah in the dream she had waiting for Mad March to capture her. "It was you," she realized. "You gave me that vision."

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt that it was me," Kat purred sensually. Her luminous green eyes sparkled. "But my dreams are usually of the naughty variety."

"Begone, Cheshire," Jack ordered dismissively. "You have no place here."

The visage of Kat slowly faded from the tree, one piece of her at a time, to reappear standing before the Prince of Wonderland. The musical jingle of the bell around her neck signaled her reemergence.

"Duplicity is an old Hat trick, but a new one for the Jack of Hearts," the Cheshire observed slyly. "Does Mommy know you're traipsing around Tulgey Wood with the Alice?"

"I am not one of my mother's cards," Jack snapped angrily.

"The game is new, Jack. You don't choose how we play," Kat insisted. "You're the highest card in the deck."

"We don't have time for your riddles," Jack replied, straightening his shoulders regally to assert his dominance. "We are due in the city."

"Don't tell her where we're going," Hatter complained. Snatching Alice's father from the Casino and meeting with Caterpillar would be dangerous enough. The last thing they needed was a meddling Cheshire.

"She already knows," the Prince reasoned. "Or she wouldn't have stopped us in the first place."

"A caucus-race would suit you better. If the pace matters. Or it might not, in which case, who cares?" Kat muttered dryly.

"Let us pass," Jack ordered. The command had Alice confused, as it didn't seem Kat was hindering them in any particular way, except to engage them in conversation.

"I'm insulted, Jack," the Cheshire pouted, diligently inspecting her long, sharp nails. "You went all the way through the Looking Glass recruiting and you didn't even think of asking me."

"You want to join the fight?" Alice wondered aloud. The woman didn't seem to be threatening them, after all. And she seemed to have a history with Jack, who claimed to be an 'insider' for the Resistance.

"The fight?" Kat laughed and it was a deep, bellowing sound. "The fall of the Queen would please no one greater. I see before me a kick-ass judo girl, a half-blooded Resistance spy and the Prince of Hearts on their way to meet a Caterpillar. What you have brewing, my sweet Alice, is a revolution."

"You've been to my world," Alice stated. There was no other way Kat would know she practiced martial arts.

"The Cheshire are the only creatures who can travel between worlds without the Looking Glass," Jack explained.

"_Were_ the only ones," Kat corrected bitterly. "But your mommy hates competition. Now there is only one."

"So there's another way home," Alice guessed. Perhaps the ring wasn't as crucial as they first thought.

"Not for you," Kat replied loftily.

"What do you want with us?" Hatter asked bluntly. The Cheshire were troublemakers. He knew Kat would have them talking in circles for eternity unless they got straight to the point.

Kat disappeared with another chime of her little bell, only to suddenly materialize hanging upside-down in the air directly in front of Hatter. "March is out there, wild card," the Cheshire told him, her glowing emerald gaze piercing right through him. "And you have a target on your back the size of a Tea party."

"So help us," Alice suggested.

"I like her," Kat told Hatter with a double-wide inverted grin. "Feisty little Oyster. Couldn't resist helping the poor little thing if you tried." She reached out to touch his face affectionately. "So much like him. My champion of humanity."

Hatter jerked away from the contact, frowning and fixing Kat with a hard stare. He didn't like hearing her talk of _him_ and he liked even less being touched. The Cheshire's grin faded and she regarded him sadly.

"Enough," Jack bellowed.

The sudden shout seemed to snap Kat out of her trance. She appeared back in her original spot in the tree before them.

"Take the old road on the border of the White kingdom," the Cheshire instructed lightly. "The trees will protect you, at my command. They will shield your trail from Mad March and the Suits."

"How are trees going to protect us?" Alice wondered.

"Alice," Kat said her name as though it were the punchline to the most hilarious joke. The Cheshire's body faded limb by limb until only her sharp-toothed smile remained, the woods echoing with her resounding laughter.

* * *

The tedious ride through the forest grew silent again after the Cheshire's departure. Every so often, Alice thought she heard the distant tinkling of a little bell. But it may have just been the wind. She was left alone with her thoughts and the distracting scent of Hatter until they reached a clearing of trees and Jack stopped his horse ahead of them.

"We won't make it by nightfall," Jack concluded. "We should stop here for the night and rest."

He left Alice and Hatter to make camp while he scouted ahead. He seemed more blunt than usual. Alice assumed he didn't like the idea of Hatter joining them any more than Hatter himself.

She and Hatter wandered carefully through the brush, always in sight of their horse in the clearing, gathering dry branches and sticks for firewood.

"My Mum was the Oyster," Hatter blurted out without prompting. "Never met her but the story goes that my father took a liking to her and snuck her out the Casino. She was taken in by the Resistance after that."

He was quiet for a moment. He hadn't shared this information before. Not with anyone. And he wasn't sure why he felt Alice deserved an explanation. Except that maybe if she knew his story it would be the missing link that would finally allow her to trust him. Knowledge was powerful, as he'd told her in the Library, and he didn't want a lack of understanding to come between them anymore.

"What happened?" Alice asked softly. She could only assume it was a sad story, since Hatter had all but dismissed her question regarding his family earlier. She didn't want to push him but Alice was very genuinely interested to hear about his background. Interested in him, really.

"She, um..." he hesitated, careful to keep his tone level. He almost wished he hadn't even mentioned it, but it was too late now. "The Suits found her when we were trying to escape the city. She was killed. I was just little, I don't... really remember..."

He trailed off, turning away from her and adding a few dry twigs to the bundle in his arms. Alice dropped her pile to the ground and cautiously walked over to him. She didn't know what to say, so she simply moved closer, prepared to offer what comfort she could.

"I never really got 'round to asking how I got here," Hatter continued thoughtfully. "Figured, maybe they went to the Carpenter behind the Queen's back. All I knew is I was one half and nothing of both worlds and didn't belong to anyone. Only place left for me was the seedy underbelly."

"Hatter," Alice whispered, voice heavy with empathy. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he answered with a sad smile. "'Least I know where I came from. That's more than some of the others've got."

"We've got to stop this," Alice resolved, her face holding the same rigid determination as her voice. "For their sake."

Alice's first priority had to be her father. She had needed him for so long… he was family and that had to come first. But the more she learned about the Casino, the more she knew she wanted to be a part of the solution. She had to believe that somehow her rag-tag crew of rebels could really pull off the revolution Wonderland so desperately needed.

"We?" Hatter asked hopefully, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. 'We' had sounded scary the first time he'd said it. Bitter when she threw it back in his face over the fire at Charlie's fortress. But now, 'we' sounded good.

Alice nodded slightly. She averted her eyes but Hatter noticed the ghost of a smile and a touch of pink painting her cheeks. Her hand found his and gave it a reassuring squeeze. An unfamiliar custom, but he recognized the intent. He felt her fingers slip from his grasp and he stared at the empty limb, immediately missing her touch. Lot of touching involved between Oysters, it would seem. He'd not mind more touching when it came to Alice. Like that kissing business, he'd love to have a go at that again.

Hatter cleared his throat anxiously, trying to halt the thoughts running rampant in his head. "You hungry?" he asked brightly, changing the subject from such dark matters.

"Famished," Alice answered truthfully.

He nodded in agreement, "We should drop off the kindling and start digging for apples."

Alice blinked and shook her head doubtfully. "Apples grow on trees," she amended calmly.

Hatter chuckled at his silly Oyster, "Sure they do."

* * *

When Jack returned to their camp he provided them with some food beyond the apples they had indeed harvested, much to Alice's surprise, from the ground. While her meal with Charlie and Hatter had passed in companionable silence, the quiet over this campfire was excruciatingly tense. Alice and Hatter finished their meals quickly, all too anxious to move past the strained, endless stillness.

Jack picked at his meal meagerly and where she might not have thought anything of it before, tonight it annoyed her. Alice hadn't had a chance to really consider his status until then. What she had viewed as polite manners now seemed bordering on pompous. She tried to shake the thought away, knowing that it wasn't fair. But it only made the warm comfort she associated with Hatter and Charlie all the more vivid.

Alice could've spend this quiet time thinking about many things: meeting a Cheshire for the first time, how Kat came to know both her companions, what she was going to say to her father when they found him, her rapidly growing feelings for Hatter... She might have wanted to think about anything else. But she was presented with the perfect opportunity to grill the Prince on another matter that continued to bother her. Right now, Jack was a captive audience. There was nowhere for him to run.

"So who's the Duchess?" Alice asked plainly, holding Jack's gaze steadily over the fire.

"My mother's creature," Jack answered quickly. "An arrangement. I have no feelings for her nor she for me." He glanced sideways at Hatter and added, "Do you really want to talk about this now?"

Hatter scoffed, "Don't let me spoil your lover's reunion." He rose to his feet and walked away from the fire to tend to the horses.

"Hatter," Alice called apologetically.

"Let him go," Jack muttered.

"Why are you so cruel to him?" she scolded sourly.

"Cruel?" Jack ranted, affronted. "At your request I allowed him to travel with us despite Caterpillar's explicit instructions to bring you alone. There is a great deal at stake here, Alice."

"Right," she conceded grimly. "The revolution."

"The future of my people," Jack clarified. "And yours. In addition to finally finding your father, you have the power to free the humans trapped in the Casino and send them home for good. Don't you want that?"

"Of course I do," Alice argued. "And so does Hatter. He can help you, if you let him."

"What you don't know will hurt him," the Prince warned, his voice and eyes gravely serious. "Your friend has many enemies on both sides of this conflict. He would have been safer hiding in the woods with the knight."

"Are you afraid for his safety," Alice questioned skeptically. "Or the threat he poses to your mission?"

"I worry about you," he persuaded gently. "My heart belongs to you, Alice. Completely. You believe that, don't you?"

Alice sighed and stayed silent for a long moment, watching the flames flicker gently before her. How could she still believe that? She wasn't even really sure what love meant in Wonderland. Was Jack really his parents' biological son? Did he even have a concept of romance before coming to her world? There were too many questions unanswered.

She knew it wasn't entirely fair for her to judge Jack without hearing his side of the story. But Alice couldn't shake the suspicious feeling that crept up the moment she saw him again in the Queen's throne room. Everything he had told her up until that point was a lie. While she might find it in her heart to forgive the Prince in light of the selfless cause he was pursuing, they could never go back to what they were.

"I can't ask you to worry about me, Jack," Alice said quietly. "You have a duty to your people and I respect that."

The Prince stared into the rising smoke between them wistfully. "I will always honor my loyalty to the people of this land and I will deliver them from my mother's tyranny," Jack told her profoundly. "Just as I will always do everything in my power to protect you. You mean a great deal to me, Alice."

"I gave you the ring because I do believe in the cause. I will do what I can to help but I will never leave my friends behind. Hatter means a great deal to me, too," Alice resolved quickly. The words were out of her mouth before she could think of the implications.

When the implications did reach her mind, she decided it was best to make her exit. She rose up quickly and walked away from the fire, only to run smack into Hatter who had returned from watering the horses.

"Whoa there," Hatter chided gently. "You okay?"

Alice nodded, keeping her head low and hoping the shadows were dark enough to obscure the rather obvious blush she knew was covering her face. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I'm fine."

"Did he say something to ya?" Hatter griped, narrowing his eyes at the Prince across the clearing.

"No," she replied quickly. "We were just catching up."

Hatter nodded glumly, fairly sure that meant she had reconciled with Jack. He could easily picture the Prince weaving together some convoluted story that Alice ate up like candy for breakfast. He still didn't understand why in her eyes, Jack could do no wrong. It must be some secret experience they shared in her world. He hoped it wasn't anything... that required a rare Tea.

"It's late," Jack stood and called to them over the fire. "I'm turning in for the night. We will continue on in the morning." And with that, he disappeared into the darkness behind the fire. Alice was offered a future with a prince but for the moment it appeared she had chosen the pauper.

"We should get some sleep too," Alice suggested.

Hatter agreed, holding up one finger asking her to wait in the same fashion as when they first met in the Tea Shoppe. The memory, though only a few days old, gripped her with an almost nostalgic affection for the Wonderlander. She crossed her arms loosely and grinned fondly as he grabbed a cover from the pack behind one of the saddles and held it out for her. "There's one blanket. You should have it, the wind comes off cold from the lands of the White kingdom."

"We'll share it," Alice decided, smiling amicably. She liked Hatter well enough and there was no reason for either of them to go cold. She had learned Wonderlanders were less hormonally driven than humans, so she could only assume Hatter would be nothing but virtuous. Besides, his simple little gesture had been entirely too endearing.

"Share it," Hatter repeated to himself. He looked down at the blanket in his hands suspiciously and then after Alice who was already walking over to a wide old tree at the edge of the clearing.

The half of him that was elated to get close to Alice was at war with the half of him that was fairly sure she'd just made up with her boyfriend. Hatter had left them alone to escape the supreme awkwardness of witnessing Jack attempting to smooth over his lies. Had he known this would be the result, Hatter wished he'd stayed to hear what was said.

"Is it me or did the forest get denser?" Alice asked, looking out into the woods.

"Kat," Hatter mused. "She came through for us."

"She got the trees to move?"

"Yes. Asked the trees to shift to throw off the posse that's after us," Hatter explained. "The Suits'll walk through the same stretch of woods and suddenly it will look like a different place, turning 'em in circles."

"That's good," Alice supposed, though she didn't quite understand it.

She took the blanket from Hatter and shook it out so the fabric fluttered down in front of her. Turning the cover over her arm, she sat with her back against the tree and patted the ground next to her expectantly in an open invitation to Hatter.

"Alice, we don't normally, um..." he faltered.

He never thought he'd have to explain obvious social norms to someone. In Wonderland, sharing a sleeping space was not something two adults would do. It simply wouldn't cross their minds. While Hatter liked the idea of cuddling up with Alice, given the pleasant feelings he had experienced since meeting her, what she was asking was still unorthodox. It would take time for him to get used to her Oyster customs.

"I know," she smiled up at him. "I promise I won't bite," Alice said in a voice that sent a shiver up Hatter's spine.

Well that cinched it. Because really, who was here to judge him anyway?

"Right," he resolved and plopped down beside her, placing his hat safely on his knee.

Alice arranged the blanket over them and around their shoulders neatly. Hatter took a deep breath and lifted the arm closest to her in offering. If he still had any chance of winning her from the Prince of Wonderland, this was his first small gambit to test her reaction. He exhaled in relief when she took his offer automatically, ducking under his arm and resting her head on his chest.

Her hand came around and found it's way under his jacket again, pressing softly against his side in a loose embrace. Hatter's heart once more fluttered madly in his chest and he doubted sleep would come to him tonight.

"Good night, Hatter," Alice said softly. Hatter felt the words reverberate through him in a completely opposite intonation from their first night together.

"Good night, Alice," he breathed and thanked the lucky star that allowed him this perfect moment.

* * *

AN: I'm glad it's Fall. All that talk of spicy tea, I just had to get a chai latte.

A special thanks again to me beta celticvampriss who helped turn over this long chapter. A chai of appreciation for you too, my friend.

I wasn't originally going to write a cheshire (no place for her in the original story concept) but then Kat curled up inside my head and started whispering, so I decided to share her with you. I wish I'd discovered the mini-series earlier, as the fandom seems to have died off in the past couple years, but at least I have a lot of reference to go on in the many great stories out there. If you're following, stay tuned for tea and caterpillars, kisses and cliches all with a Wonderland twist! Until then, I leave you with the tinkling of a little bell. May you have naughty dreams.


	5. Left Unsaid

AN: So this chapter is a little different...

I do not own or have any rights to Alice, the good folks at SyFy do.

* * *

_You think you have the best of intentions_  
_I cannot shake the taste of blood in my mouth_

* * *

Hatter stood in the alley alone and waited. The scarabs were circling close - too close - but that was why he had come here. The passage was around the corner from the White Rabbit's headquarters and led nowhere in particular, which meant he couldn't be traced back to anywhere in the city. With all the activity in the area, he wouldn't have long to wait until the Suits found him.

He was startled, but not surprised, when the Cheshire appeared before him with a musical jingle.

"You don't have to do this," Kat said bluntly, twirling the ends of her short hair in her fingers.

"If I keep running, the Suits'll find me. And when they do, I'll be dead," Hatter resolved.

He'd already had two close calls in the past week. The White Rabbit was closing in on the Resistance with frightening speed, tightening their dragnet over the city. The abandoned spaces and dark corners were all shrinking one by one. At this rate, they would have to move the entire operation and Hatter wasn't sure he would survive that migration.

"I won't let that happen," the Cheshire assured him. "I promised your mother I'd protect you."

"Yeah," Hatter retorted sharply. "That didn't work out too well for her, did it?"

The Cheshire's face fell. She knew Hatter blamed her at least in part for his mother's death but it still hurt to hear it from his lips. Kat had failed in her promise to his father to keep Lorina safe. She wouldn't fail again with their son.

"I'll be fine," Hatter promised, a little more softly. "March has got my back."

The Cheshire rolled her emerald eyes heavenward at Hatter's innocence. He lived a hard life but he was still young and incredibly trusting. Dodo had the boy wrapped around his finger and believing the Resistance creed as gospel. She worried about his blind loyalty to the old coot and the fanatical youth March.

"March is a junkie, wild card," Kat told him painfully. "For all his 'fight and free them' he's hooked on the stuff. You need to watch him, or he's going to get you into trouble."

Hatter whirled around on her angrily, in her face with a flash of movement. "March is my friend," he spat. "When everyone else decided I was a lost cause, he had my back. So don't think you can come here and tell me what to do just because you and my father had some times on the other side."

"David - " Kat began pleadingly.

"Don't," he shot back quickly. Only his mother had the right to use that name and she was dead. "Just go. Leave me alone and worry about yourself. The Queen wants to see you dead more than me."

The searing spotlight of a passing scarab passed through the alley and Kat dematerialized instantly. He'd been spotted. It wouldn't be long now.

"There will be no going back from this," the Cheshire warned, appearing briefly in the dark shadows behind him. "Once you make a deal with the Queen, you will have to become the very thing you hate. Losing yourself will be the price of hiding in plain sight."

"I'm already lost," he countered bitterly. But Kat was already gone, the empty air ringing with the sound of her distinctive bell.

He turned to confirm her disappearance and when he circled back around to face the opening of the alley he was met with a team of Suits led by Agent White. High value cards: Nines and Tens of Hearts, the Queen's personal guard. He supposed he should feel honored.

"Well, Well," Agent White sneered. "If it isn't the infamous Hatter in the flesh. You're a slippery one, I'll give you that." He signaled the Suits at his side. "But the Rabbit always catches his prey."

Hatter made no struggle as the Suits surrounded and captured him. But that didn't stop them from roughing him up a bit. The burly Ten delivered an expert lung-voiding punch to the gut followed by a powerful right hook to the jaw. Hatter tasted blood. A Nine joined in on the fun, throwing a backhand strike that connected soundly with Hatter's temple. This was payback. Retribution for the years these cards had undoubtedly spent searching for him. There were thousands of rebels hiding out in the city but Hatter had proven a particularly cumbersome thorn in their side.

"Not too gory," White reminded his men. "This traitor's going to the Queen."

The cards glowered at having their fun ended early but obeyed. Burly Ten shoved a black canvas bag over his prisoner's head. The Suits wasted no time dragging Hatter forward and dropping him carelessly to the floor. The prisoner's world was dark but he recognized the metallic clank and clamber of the scarab.

A bottle was brought to Hatter's mouth and he was forced to drink. He recognized the liquid instantly. Cool and slightly viscous, deceptively smooth then suddenly tart with a harsh bitter aftertaste. A potent Truth cocktail: one part Calm, two parts Honesty, and a splash of Euphoria expertly mixed and designed to loosen even the tightest lips. The elixir worked quickly, clouding his mind and liberating tightly controlled inhibitions. But Hatter had prepared for this. All Resistance members were trained to resist Truth. He didn't have to lie, he just had to omit certain facts. He could stay on track if he could just focus.

He was moved and jostled, presumably exiting the scarab and entering the palace. The Suits marched him ever forward, pausing only in the elevator and then left, right, left, and finally stop. The bag was removed from over his head and his eyes blinked heavily, adjusting to the bright light of the throne room.

The Queen stood as soon as his face was revealed, marveling.

"Why, Agent White," she began dotingly. "When you said you had him I thought there must be some mistake. After all this time. To think the little scoundrel was still alive. But here he is."

Agent White gave a low bow. "A gift for your majesty," the agent offered graciously.

"He's been given the Truth serum," the King flaunted proudly.

"Of course he has," the Queen blustered, effectively dismissing him. "It's standard procedure for all prisoners. Now we see if his mind has accepted the cocktail."

The Queen of Hearts came up right before Hatter, standing too close for comfort. He stood up bravely to the woman who had murdered his parents, terrorized his friends, and ruined his world. He didn't look her quite in the eye, choosing instead to look through her. Showing no fear, only determination.

"What is your name?" she asked slowly and clearly, as though she expected him not to understand.

_David - no - Hatter, everyone calls me Hatter. Focus. It's:_ "Hatter."

The Queen nodded with an air of moderate pride, not unlike an owner whose dog had performed an amusing trick. The Suits in the room responded with quiet, snobbish applause. Hatter guessed he had given the right answer to question number one at least.

"How old are you?"

"Six and ten," Hatter replied automatically. Easy as an orange on Tuesday. He could do this.

The Queen looked to Ten of Clubs for a fact check. He nodded his head dutifully. It had been almost seventeen years since the Ace of Spades had smuggled the Oyster Lorina out of the Casino and met his untimely demise. Another right answer, met with a pleased-as-punch Queen and more pretentious clapping. Hatter felt like the entertainment _du jour_, on display and existing only as a diversion for the Royals.

"Why did you let my pretty Suits capture you, child?" the Queen asked, her tone growing more condescending by the moment.

She knew. Of course she knew. He had evaded capture for a decade and a half. But he had counted on this. He wouldn't be caught so easily if it hadn't been intentional on his part. This was good. Right on track.

_I want to kill you. Want to ruin you. I hate you. Focus, dammit, focus. _"Want to make amends," Hatter managed without stuttering. It was true, but not the way she thought. _Bits of truth. Cups and saucers. Not the whole story. _"Help the people. Give them what they need."

"And what do you want from me?" she queried curiously.

He'd piqued her interest. Got her wondering. What could public enemy number one possibly want from the Hearts? All according to plan. He could do this.

"A Tea House," Hatter answered clearly. _Need a front. Dodo says we need a front. Hiding in plain sight. Beat the Queen at her own game._

"Poor sot. He's a junkie," the King exclaimed with a scornful laugh. "Desperate to get his hands on some Tea."

"Silence, Winston," the Queen barked angrily. She turned her attention back to Hatter, looking him up and down like livestock. "The Ace of Spades was a great loss to my court. How do I know you won't go running off with my precious Tea just like he did with that pathetic Oyster?"

Hatter nearly bit through the inside of his cheek to keep from lashing out at her mockery of his mother. He tasted blood again, the strong metallic flavor combined with a sharp jolt of pain pulling against the influence of Truth. He forced himself to focus on the resentment he felt toward his father, pushing all other thoughts aside.

"I hate my father for what he did..." _For what he did for you. Brought Oysters here to be slaves. Killed good people. Let my mum die. Turned over the leaf too late. Focus. _Hatter swallowed his emotions and finished evenly, "I don't want to be anything like him."

The Queen of Hearts turned now to Agent White. "How much of that cocktail did he take?" she demanded.

Flustered, the agent pulled an empty bottle from his pocket. "A great deal, your majesty. He drank the whole thing," White declared pompously, shaking the bare container for emphasis.

"Excellent," the Queen seemed delighted. "Bring her out."

A hand of Suits appeared from the wings of the throne room, escorting an adolescent woman. She was short and slender, fair skin, blond hair and a light dust of freckles. An Oyster. If Hatter couldn't tell by her manner of dress, he could certainly be sure by the viridian mark peeking around the side of her neck. Her hazel eyes were dull and empty, robbed of life by the constant state of sedation all Oysters maintained.

The Queen led the girl forward, pressing her hands on either side of the Oyster's slim shoulders as though presenting a rare commodity. "Do you know what this is, Hatter?"

He steeled himself. Forced his eyes to look forward. "Oyster."

"Yes," the Queen agreed with a wicked smirk. "And what do you see when you look into her ugly face?"

_Someone's daughter, sister, friend, _Hatter thought. _A prisoner, slave, victim. _But all he said was:

"Tea."

"That's right," the Queen beamed. Patronizing as hell. She ran her hand over the girl's mark as though she was her favorite pet. "What kinds of Tea do you think I could squeeze from this one?"

_Fear, confusion, pain. She looks so cold. Dead inside. Small and lost. She doesn't belong here. _He ground his teeth against the raw answers that threatened to spill forth. He rattled off a list hastily, keeping an objective gaze on the girl before him. "Excitement, Serenity, Joy, Innocence, Delight. Maybe Infatuation. She's pretty enough. For an Oyster." The words rolled out easily enough, but the meaning behind them made him sick. He felt a wave of nausea pass over him and fought to not let it show.

"Very good. Is this really what you want, Hatter? To sell my wonderful Tea to the starving, needy people of Wonderland, desperate for the relief that only I can provide?"

"Yes, your highness," Hatter said vacantly. _Worst of actions with the best of intentions. Just remember why you're doing this. For the Resistance. All for the Resistance._

"Then you will abide by the rules of the kingdom from now on, won't you? And you shall be the best Tea seller in my city?"

"I hope so, your majesty." _Hope I bring you so high, all of Wonderland shakes when you fall._

"Excellent," she repeated loftily.

He was in. The little words left unsaid had convinced the Royals to give him a chance. Made them believe he was on their side. The Queen of Hearts clapped her hands together and smiled widely. It was the last thing Hatter saw before his world went black.

* * *

AN: Did I scare you? Were you afraid for Hatter for a moment there? Yeah, I'm a rascal like that. Sorry friends.

Thanks again to beta celticvampriss who continues to polish my wayward words.

Hope you enjoyed this little peek into the past. Next chapter: back to the present, looks like.


	6. Please Be Warm

AN: Sorry for the delay. Life and holidays and NaNoWriMo, oh my! As recompense, a long-ish chapter with gooey center.

This chapter is chock-full of fluffy cliche and is dedicated to all the Alice stories that have come before. Thanks and enjoy!

I do not own or have any rights to Alice, the good folks at SyFy do.

* * *

_Can you show me, dear_

_Something I've not seen?_

_Something infinitely interesting_

* * *

Hatter awoke with a start, finding himself not in the abandoned building that would become his Tea Shoppe but instead in the Tulgey Wood under a blanket with Alice still curled up beside him. Thank the stars. The past had stayed where it belonged, confined to dream and memory. He suspected the unnerving remembrance was brought to the surface by his meeting with the Cheshire. The chilling realism of the nightmare lingered but was brushed to the edges of his mind thanks to the warm body tucked safely in his arms.

It was nearly dawn. While the sun had yet to make her appearance, the sky above the trees had brightened from black to blue. There was a dim pink glow to the edges of the forest that made the mist shimmer and the dew sparkle. Judging by her steady breathing unchanged by hours creeping along, Hatter guessed Alice wasn't a morning person.

"Alice, wake up," he urged softly, moving his shoulder in the hopes that would nudge her gently into consciousness.

Alice made a disagreeable face and blinked her eyes open, assessing her current status. Creepy Wonderland forest before dawn, check. Comfy Hatter pillow, check. "What's wrong?" she asked groggily.

"Nuthin'," Hatter assured her. "It's time to get up."

Sensing no immediate danger, Alice closed her eyes and nuzzled her face sleepily into Hatter's chest.

"Alice," Hatter coaxed, brave fingers brushing tentatively across her cheek.

"It's not even dawn yet," she muttered grumpily.

"Remember the stream we passed by?" he whispered into her hair. "If we hurry, before we leave there might be time to wash up."

"Cold water first thing in the morning," Alice grumbled, lifting her head. "You sure know how to entice a girl."

Her cheek still pressed against his shoulder, Alice's face was close enough that he could feel her warm breath on his chin against the chilly morning air. Speaking of enticement, Alice's mouth was an open target that was especially tempting with the rest of her pressed firmly against him. Hatter playfully brushed his nose against hers, giving her fair warning to stop him if that's what she wanted. She only grinned sleepily, a smile that Hatter returned as he leaned in.

If Jack, or March, or the Queen herself had shown up at that moment, Hatter would have said to hell with them all - this morning he was getting the kiss from Alice that was stolen from them yesterday.

Hatter completed said kiss with a hesitant press of lips. Soft and careful, testing her reaction. This was still new. Exciting. Each light touch and borrowed breath was a unique thrill. Amazing. And when she responded with a languid slide of her lips against his it was overwhelming.

Alice inhaled much needed air into suddenly heavy lungs and breathed in spicy chai, well-worn leather, and Hatter. The comforting scent made her worry about her own odor and her fuzzy brain struggled to dig up Hatter's previous comment about a nearby stream.

Too soon, she reluctantly pulled away. "Washing up sounds nice, actually," she admitted.

Hatter blinked and stayed silent for a moment, waiting to process what she had said. His disappointment that she had ended what he felt was a perfectly good kiss was only tempered by the fact that she had yet to disengage herself from his embrace. Thank Wonderland for small miracles.

"Right," he answered good-naturedly, throwing in a quick peck on her unguarded lips for good measure. She didn't seem to mind. She just looked down modestly, dark lashes shadowing pink cheeks.

He stood, bringing Alice with him. The cover fell from her shoulders and she shivered, missing the warmth that only came from cuddling up together. Hatter folded the blanket over and wrapped it round her shoulders like a shawl, his hands lingering longer than necessary and giving her arms a reassuring, if somewhat possessive, squeeze.

"Follow me," Hatter offered. The way would be different today but he remembered enough to get them there.

Sleepy Alice proved to be a very suggestible Alice, as she obeyed without comment. She fell into stride behind him, her hand reaching and almost magnetically finding his. Hatter looked down expectantly, waiting for her to pull him to a stop for some unknown reason. But she just threaded her fingers between his and held tightly, continuing to walk behind him.

Hatter smiled to himself, marveling at the simple yet affectionate contact. It seemed Oysters held hands just for the pleasure of it. The soft warmth of her hand was pleasantly distracting. A constant reminder that she was still there, following quietly behind him.

In the dim forest, the shadows of trees they passed seemed to move independently of their rate of motion walking through the forest. Alice first thought it must be a trick of the early pre-dawn light but soon remembered she was in Wonderland and Kat had told the trees to shift in order to keep them safe on their journey. The dark trunks cleared before them into an open glade.

Alice stopped in her tracks. Dozens of glowing butterflies flickered in colorful, dancing light as they flitted about the clearing. Each creature illuminated its own dazzling rainbow, changing colors with each flap of their tiny wings.

"Damn. Fireflies are out," Hatter griped. "Go on, git." He swatted ineffectually at the shining insects. Alice caught his arm and shot him an annoyed look. "They're pests," he defended.

"They're beautiful," Alice breathed, mesmerized.

"Look all you like," Hatter mumbled, pulling his arm back. "Just don't complain to me if they bite ya."

She watched the vibrant, fluttering display with wide eyes that shone with pure amazement. Hatter followed her fascinated gaze, trying to see the bothersome insects through her eyes. He supposed 'flies didn't glow in her world and if she'd never seen a sparkling bug before this might be pretty astonishing.

Alice watched a firefly drift down toward her and innocently reached out her hand, as a fairytale princess might for a wandering bluebird. The insect landed softly and she was rewarded with a sharp puncture as it bit her finger roughly. She yelped in pain and shook the firefly away, pulling her hand backward quickly.

Hatter sighed but somehow restrained the shameless I told you so that threatened to spill out. Instead, he gingerly caught her hand and brought it to his mouth, gently sucking at the wound to staunch the slight bleeding. It never occurred to him that the action was bold until he heard her small gasp and saw the blush cover her cheeks. He ran his thumb soothingly over her knuckles just once and released her hand.

"Come on," he urged lowly. "It's just up ahead."

Alice nodded and followed him silently through the last grove of trees separating the clearing from the banks of a clear flowing stream.

Blanket dropped from her shoulders and forgotten for the moment, Alice rushed forward and kneeled on the rocks beside the creek. She carefully dipped her hands into the rushing water and gasped at the icy cold feeling. She knew the water would be cool but that didn't prepare her for the shock of it.

"I wish it was warm," she said longingly.

"Just ask," Hatter suggested.

She looked back at him, clearly confused.

"Everything is alive in Wonderland, Alice," he explained patiently. He cleared his throat and spoke strongly. "Stream, please be warm," he said. Magic words that would entice the living waters to obey.

Alice dipped her fingers back into the water. "It's still cold," she said flatly.

Hatter shrugged, "They don't always listen."

Alice leaned down low, dark hair falling into the water as her lips hovered just above the brook's steady flow. The gentle look on her face illuminated by the faint glow of the approaching dawn was enough to steal Hatter's breath away. "Stream," she breathed softly. "Please be warm."

She lowered her hand into the stream again and looked up at him brightly. "It's warm," she chirped happily.

Indeed, wisps of steam were already beginning to rise off the water. Well, of course it would listen to Alice.

"Amazing," Hatter hummed and admittedly he wasn't just talking about the water.

Alice hopped up excitedly and in a bold move proceeded to strip down, starting with her boots. Hatter turned away instantly, his back to the stream and eyes pointed in the direction of their camp.

"I'll just keep watch, then," he decided in that moment.

Alice paused in her undressing to consider him. "Aren't you coming in?" she assumed. Washing up in a cold creek was one thing but she never expected him to turn down a hot soak after all they had been through the past few days.

"Um, no," Hatter replied surely.

As a rule, Wonderlanders didn't take off their clothes - except maybe to change them. Clothing was a form of identity and being caught without it was to show a personal, intimate truth about a oneself that was best kept hidden. If a Wonderlander were to get naked for, say, a bath, it would be in the guarded privacy of one's home. Certainly not in the presence of another and definitely never in a wide open forest.

Alice shrugged in a suit yourself fashion and continued to undress, folding her clothes neatly on the bank.

"Living streams, walking trees... do mountains move in Wonderland too?" Alice babbled conversationally to Hatter's back as she dipped her feet experimentally into the water.

"Of course mountains move," Hatter replied brashly. Of all the absurd - "Apples in trees. Paper currency. Cities on the ground. Your world sounds like a good bit of nonsense."

"There's a lot of nonsense," Alice agreed. Cheap tabloids, reality television, and frivolous lawsuits were just a few that came to mind. "But not those things. They are normal."

"Then there's no such thing as normal," Hatter muttered gruffly.

"Don't you want to wash up?" she pressed inquisitively. The deeper she sank into the water, the more shocked she was that he had refused so thoroughly.

"I'm all right," he answered quickly. But he wasn't, really. Hatter wanted a warm bath, yes, but not like this. This just made him dream all the more for his little safehouse in the city. The one place he couldn't be bothered with Princes and quests and tempting little Oysters inviting him to bathe with them.

Alice moved deeper into the running water, thankfully slowed by the stony rapids upstream. The lull in the stream widened like a pond around her, fresh warm water running steadily through the pool. In the middle Alice found it deep enough to cover her shoulders if she kneeled slightly. She found a smooth boulder to lean against. The slow current and permeating warmth were completely relaxing, easing her tense muscles gradually.

"Hatter," Alice moaned and the sound affected him as surely as her kiss. "The water's hot. It's lovely."

"Sod it," Hatter cursed roughly. He'd broken nearly every rule of Wonderland already, what was one more? He peeled off his jacket and turned to see Alice watching him from the water. "Well don't look," he complained, voice cracking without his permission.

Alice laughed outright. She couldn't help it. Outspoken, cocky Hatter was shy.

He fidgeted with his top button, a hot flush rising to his cheeks. "Turn around," he ordered.

Alice obeyed, wading further into the stream and turning to face the other way. It was a strange role reversal for her to be the bold one. Growing up, it was always her more daring friends trying to convince her to come out of her shell. Whether it be for skinny dipping, spin the bottle, or even the most asinine and innocent teenage shenanigans. Losing her father had set her on an almost obsessive path with little time for a social life, let alone a love life.

Her romantic past wasn't much more than a string of short and utterly failed relationships that were mostly just going through the motions for her mother's sake. Her mom was always worrying over a fear of intimacy and other motherly concerns. She thought Jack was different. But the more she learned about the real Jack, the more she was beginning to think what was different about him could all be attributed to Wonderland. And now here she was, naked in the water cajoling a man she barely knew to come join her.

But then again, he wasn't just any man. He was Hatter. Her Wonderland guide and underdog champion. A friend, she hoped, and a trusted companion. There were some close calls, namely his attempt to sell her out to Dodo for "his usual cut," that made her doubt... but in the end Hatter had proven true to his word that he would help and look after her in this strange land.

Alice was jarred from her thoughts as she heard Hatter splashing into the water behind her. As it turned out, the certainty of his threadbare state was more daunting than the mere possibility and she felt a flustered blush rise to her face. The water was clear but it was still dark enough for the shadows to hide whatever was below the waterline. Still, even as she felt sure he had waded past his hips, Alice hesitated to turn around.

"Never thought I'd want a bath so badly," Hatter mused aloud.

"I guess you've never been camping," she teased.

"Whaddya mean camp-ing?" he asked, puzzled. They'd certainly made camp last night.

"What we've been doing for the past two days," Alice snickered with a knowing grin. "Sitting around the fire. Being in nature. Telling stories. Sleeping under the stars."

"And Oysters do this for fun?" he grumbled, disbelieving. "On purpose?"

"Yeah," she answered, finding the bravery to turn around and face him. "I used to go with my - hey, you kept your hat," Alice noticed with an uncharacteristic giggle. Leave it to him to strip naked but leave the headgear on. Still, Hatter in nothing but a hat was an attractive picture she wouldn't soon forget. With an even darker blush, Alice filed that thought away for later.

"I wasn't gonna leave it," Hatter clarified. He touched the top compulsively as though to confirm it was still there on his head. He nodded to himself, satisfied with the result.

He settled against a mass of rocks a few feet from Alice. He sat stiffly at first, uncomfortably aware of his lack of clothing and proximity to another person in an equally bare state of dress. But he couldn't escape the hot water's relaxing balm for long and soon he was sinking bonelessly against his stony backrest.

"Worth it, right?" Alice goaded with a boastful smirk.

"Mmm," came Hatter's noncommittal grunt in reply.

Alice smiled. "Thank you," she said quietly. And she found she truly meant it.

Hatter opened his eyes and regarded her curiously, "For what?"

"Everything," she replied honestly, and the thoughts came pouring out without inhibition. "Staying with me. Saving me. Bringing me here and letting me have a..."

Alice stopped. Hatter was staring. Not in a perverted way, his gaze focused above the waterline, but more in an I've just seen a ghost kind of way.

"What?" Alice asked self-consciously. She imagined there was a jabberwock, or some equally frightening monster, right behind her. Just her luck. And everything was going so well.

Hatter gawked openly at the phenomenon he'd first started to notice this morning, only now it had grown from a burning ember to a full on blaze.

"Alice," he breathed, awestruck. "You're glowing."

Alice's eyes shot down instantly and she witnessed the golden shimmer covering her body. She jolted as though she could jump out of her own skin. She looked positively radioactive.

"Is this bad?" she asked quickly, her voice wavering. Rarely was anything good in her experience of Wonderland.

"No," he replied, chuckling lightly. "It means you're happy. Oysters glow with positive emotions. Usually just a little iridescence. But only this brightly when the good eclipses the bad."

Alice nodded tightly, having no other choice but to accept his explanation. This was the first chance she'd had to relax since falling through the Looking Glass. And she did find in this moment she was content, soaking in a magical hot spring with only Hatter for company.

The man in question had closed the distance between them while she was distracted with worry and was currently running his hands over her skin wonderingly. She gasped lightly at the soft touch. The moment turned suddenly raw and intimate. His wandering fingers left a burning path on her arm hotter than the surrounding water.

Hatter looked up to her shimmering face, his eyes all amazement and innocence. Alice guessed he had no earthly idea what he was doing to her. At the undoubtedly hazy look in her eyes he seemed to come back to himself a bit.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I've just never seen it close up. It's beautiful." You're beautiful, his mind added helpfully, but he didn't think she was ready to hear that from him.

"Are you?" Hatter asked before he could stop himself. He gave in to the selfish urge because he just had to know. She was naked and approachable and glowing. And all with him, not Jack.

"Am I what?" Alice asked, blinking delicately to try and shake away the fog that had clouded in her mind. His gentle caress, timid apology, and saccharine compliment all left her in a bit of a daze.

"Happy?" he managed in a small voice.

"Yeah," she murmured distractedly. The smile spread slowly across Alice's face but that only made it all the more dazzling.

The air was thick again and Hatter's heart started pounding out of nowhere. He was beginning to recognize this feeling very well. This longing to be close to Alice in every way possible. There was a word for it but it escaped him in the excitement of watching her lips smile for him.

"The Prince is awake," the Cheshire's warning call rang suddenly from above. She was lounging in a tree and it didn't look at all as though she had just appeared.

"Dammit, Kat," Hatter swore angrily. Once was enough. He was really getting tired of being interrupted.

"You could leave him be," Kat proposed lightly. "But then he'll come looking."

"No he's not," Hatter decided firmly. "I'll be there to intercept him."

Alice scoffed, "You. Are going to stall Jack?"

"Yup," Hatter answered, leaning into her space and putting a solid 'pop' on the 'p' as he had at their first meeting. Alice didn't flinch this time, just fixed him with a skeptical look. He placed his beloved hat on his beloved Alice's head, as though that would end any and all further arguments. "Keep that for me," he requested, then tugged the brim down to cover her eyes. "No peeking."

"And you," Hatter turned and pointed an accusatory finger at the Cheshire in the tree. "Keep her safe and make sure she gets back to camp in one piece."

Kat saluted stiffly with a mock serious expression on her face. But she dutifully remained in the tree with no signs of disappearing. The Cheshire had proved herself useful in commanding the trees so Hatter decided to trust her with the task of protecting Alice at least back to the campsite.

He took a deep breath, mustering up courage, and slowly made the inevitable journey from the safety of the water to his clothes on the bank.

"Me-ow" Kat purred appreciatively as he reached the shore.

"Shut it," Hatter snapped. He kept his eyes on his work as he started to dress and tried not to imagine Kat staring at him intently.

"How come she gets to peek?" Alice pouted. Whether she was ready to see a nude Hatter was beside the point. The fact was, the Cheshire was getting a show that Alice was denied. And that just wasn't fair.

"No blindfold fast enough to cover her eyes," Hatter reasoned, daring an angry glare up at Kat now that he at least had his trousers on.

"Don't you know, wild card," the Cheshire grinned madly. "It's impolite to deny a lady. Especially an Alice."

"Just get her back safely," Hatter ordered, annoyed at her teasing. He buttoned his shirt faster than he ever had before. In a flurry of movement he was fully dressed again and ready to be on his way. "Don't let her try anything funny, Alice," he warned. "Just follow Kat back to camp."

Alice nodded, pulling up his hat to watch him go. "Be careful," she said before thinking. It wasn't that far but after finally letting her guard down she was sad to leave his presence even for a little while. She supposed her worry was also Jack. She hoped they wouldn't quarrel too much before she got there.

Hatter gave Alice an all-business nod, shot Kat one last threatening stare, and disappeared through the woods.

"Just us girls, now," Kat chirped good-naturedly. She faded from the tree and reappeared on the bank with a bell chime, holding out the blanket like an oversized beach towel and squinting her eyes shut. "Come along. Boys are waiting."

Alice smiled despite herself at the Cheshire's antics. As irritated as Hatter seemed to be in her presence, he obviously trusted Kat if he left them alone. For Alice, girl time meant answer time.

"Why does the Resistance want to kill Hatter?" Alice asked clearly as she waded her way through the water.

"No mincing words?" the Cheshire hummed. Her eyebrows raised curiously but her eyes remained shut. "Straight to the point, then. You were there, my sweet. He didn't give up the ring. Or you."

"Jack said he had enemies on both sides," Alice elaborated as she reached the bank. She tapped the middle of the blanket to let Kat know she was there and the Cheshire wrapped the ends around her snugly. The almost maternal nature of the gesture was not lost on Alice. Satisfied that she was covered, Kat stepped away and turned to give her privacy to dress.

"An Ace makes quite a few ripples when he betrays the Queen," the Cheshire told her solemnly. "She never forgets treason."

"His father was a Suit," Alice realized gravely. A large shadow to outrun. A tremendous danger to be forced into the Queen's spotlight. She felt guilt seize at her chest at the thought that she had dragged him into certain doom.

Kat frowned at her simplistic statement. "Spades was a good person who did bad things to stay alive, like most of us in those days. He made the right decision. In the end. His life was the cost."

"When he saved Hatter's mother from the Casino?" Alice proposed for confirmation.

The Cheshire cleared her throat, a decidedly human response, and showed a crack in her overzealous confidence for the first time. "Isn't this a story for the Hatter to tell?"

"He started, but I didn't push it," Alice admitted. "I don't want to hurt him."

Kat nodded, it would seem, in understanding, though it was hard to tell from behind.

Alice pressed on, changing tactic and topic as she finished dressing, "If all the Cheshires are gone, how did you survive?"

"I wasn't here when the Hearts launched their coup," the last surviving Cheshire replied with a knowing grin.

"Why didn't the Queen kill when you got back?"

"Such a clever girl," Kat patronized loftily. "Cheshire were here before people were. I only look human so I can speak to you. We are of Wonderland. You need a vorpal sword to kill a creature of Wonderland."

"A vorpal sword?" Alice repeated with a measure of disbelief. Just when she thought she knew all the wacky Wonderland trivia, there was more.

"A weapon unique to Wonderland. Cannot be replicated in your world," the Cheshire explained in a bored tone. "The knights lost their battle with the Queen of Hearts for the throne. But the last vorpal sword they won back. Now the Queen has none."

"Where is it now?"

"Safe," Kat replied and Alice recognized the evasive tone she had used herself to protect the ring. If the vorpal sword was the only way to kill her, Alice understood the Cheshire's desire to hide it.

"We should hurry along," the Cheshire urged. "Not a good idea to leave those two alone."

Alice nodded in agreement. That just may be the understatement of the century.

* * *

"Where is Alice?" Jack demanded the moment Hatter came in sight. The Prince was staring at him suspiciously. So untrusting.

"Wanted to give her some time by the stream to wash up," Hatter replied simply. "Kat is bringing her back."

"You left her alone with the Cheshire?" Jack growled disapprovingly.

"With Kat," Hatter amended. "The Cheshire who promised to help us. Who I've known a good bit longer than you. Yes, I left her with that Cheshire."

"For your sake, I hope she arrives soon," the Prince warned icily. "And safely."

"She's not as delicate as you might think, your majesty," Hatter grumbled as he began packing his horse. "Alice 's already taken out Dodo, outrun a jabberwock, and dispatched her fair share of Suits before you showed up."

Hatter smiled proudly as he reflected on each perilous adventure on their journey so far. As aggravating as Alice could be sometimes, there was no doubt she was fierce and strong-willed. A lesser Oyster - a lesser woman - might have crumbled under the madness they had endured so far. But Alice always pulled through with an impossible determination to overcome any obstacle that stood in the way of her goal. He admired that... most of the time.

"It was not my intention to bring her into peril," Jack snorted derisively. "If that's what you're implying."

Hatter rolled his eyes heavenward and sighed, "I'm just saying she can handle herself."

Leave it to the Prince of Hearts to take it personally. Not that Hatter found Jack completely blameless in putting Alice in danger. Because he didn't. In fact, he was pretty sure he had Jack to blame for every deplorable mishap they had encountered over the past few days. And he fully intended to hold him accountable.

The Prince moved past the petty glowering and on to planning out their next moves. "Since you're here," Jack began, begrudging Hatter's mere presence with them. "I'll need you to keep a wary eye about. When we get to the Hospital - "

"The Hospital?" Hatter cut him off sharply. "That's where you're taking us?"

"That's where Caterpillar is," the Prince replied. As though it were plain as day.

Hatter shook his head in disbelief. "You can't take Alice there," he protested. "She's an Oyster, they'll tear her apart."

"I am well aware of the risks," Jack said dismissively.

"You're furious with me for leaving Alice with Kat for a minute," Hatter fumed. "And yet here you are ready to drag her into an asylum full of Tea addicts?"

"You let your emotions get the better of you," the Prince scolded calmly. "If you react this strongly to every decision it will be you who puts Alice in danger."

"You're the one claiming to love her. Don't you care about her safety?"

"For pity's sake, Hatter," Jack snapped angrily. "Shut off your Oyster side for just a moment and think logically."

"What's logical about taking Alice to the Hospital of Dreams?"

"What's the hospital of dreams?" asked a quiet voice at the edge of the clearing.

A sparkling clean Alice wearing his hat was possibly the most welcome site Hatter had ever seen.

* * *

AN: A glowing thanks to my beta celticvampriss for her continued edits and encouragement. See you next time at the Hospital... oh, they give me the heebie-jeebies.


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